Banshee

A banshee is a female spirit in Irish folklore whose wailing or keening, usually heard at night, warns of an impending death in a family. Often depicted as a spectral woman, sometimes with long, flowing hair, the banshee's mournful cry is a harbinger of doom, a supernatural premonition of mortality. Associated primarily with families of Gaelic origin, her presence is considered an omen, creating unease and foreboding for those who hear her lament.

Banshee meaning with examples

• As the storm raged outside the old manor house, a bloodcurdling wail echoed through the halls. Locals whispered it was the banshee, a sign that someone in the family was about to meet their end. The chilling sound sent shivers down their spines.
• The elderly woman, a lifelong believer in the old ways, claimed she heard the banshee's cry the night before her son's car accident. She had always believed in the tales, and now this terrible omen had come to pass.
• The villagers feared the banshee's lament, an unnerving, piercing sound they knew would announce the passing of a member of their community, a sorrowful call they often braced themselves to hear.
• Despite the modern age, many families still kept their ears peeled for that haunting cry that signalled death's arrival. The banshee's tradition still holds its power over them.
• The protagonist, a descendant of an ancient Irish clan, awoke to a piercing scream that chilled her to the bone. She knew, with a certainty that froze her heart, that the banshee had come, she would lose someone close.